10 Reasons You'll Have More Fun Staying Home on New Year's Eve Gallery

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10 Reasons You'll Have More Fun Staying Home on New Year's Eve Gallery

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People tend to put a lot of pressure on New Year's Eve. It's the sort of night meant for merry revelry and final indulgences before the clock resets for a brand-new year. Because December 31 is the final night of the year and a night for celebration, you may feel compelled to go out on the town to the trendiest restaurants, the best bars or a cool house party in order to ring in the new year. But we're here to tell you that going out on New Year's Eve is massively overrated. And there are a lot of good reasons why.

You see, New Year's Eve is one of the busiest days of the year for bars and restaurants. The secret is that they know this - and many take advantage of the major crowds by boosting prices and initiating cover charges just to get in the door. And if that isn't enough of a bummer for you, once you get inside these parties or eateries, you're going to have to fight the crowds for a single drink or for your server's attention.

That's why staying home on New Year's Eve often winds up being just as fun as hitting the town, and it comes with a lot less stress. You can end the year on a relaxing note while eating what you want, drinking what you want and only spending time with the people you really like. Still don't believe this is superior? There are a lot more reasons why you'll have more fun at home this NYE.

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You avoid the pressure of having the 'best night ever'

New Year's Eve, much like Halloween, your birthday or the Fourth of July, is one of those holidays that makes people feel pressure to have THE MOST FUN POSSIBLE. To end the year "right," you need to drink a lot, eat a lot and spend time with a lot of people in a place that's a lot cooler than you the places you usually go. These kinds of nights tend to play out less grandly than expected; big pressure and big plans can often lead to disappointment or sloppiness.

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You avoid holiday stress

Because it comes less than one week after Christmas Day, New Year's Eve plans often come together at the very last moment. One major celebration just happened, and suddenly you have to make restaurant reservations, scramble to find bars or clubs that won't be insanely packed or try to put together a party at the last minute. If you stay in, your plans involve just figuring out what to eat and what to watch on TV, you know, like a normal Monday night.

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You'll stay warm

In many parts of the country, December 31 falls right at the start of winter. And you know what winter means? It's cold. It's snowy. It's icy. If you stay home - and thus stay indoors - on New Year's Eve, you don't have to worry about wearing a bulky coat over your sparkly party dress, slipping on ice in your dress shoes or trying to drive in the middle of a snowstorm. You'll stay safe and cozy and won't have to worry about how to change your plans when a blizzard comes through.

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You don't have to hire a babysitter

If you have children and want to go out on New Year's Eve, good luck finding a babysitter. While those who have kids need to worry about whether or not that 13-year-old neighbor is actually responsible enough to look after their little ones, if you stay home you can actually spend New Year's Eve together with your children and enjoy the night with them.

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You get to avoid crowds, cover charges and drunks

New Year's Eve is one of the busiest nights of the year for bars, and they know this. So you can expect $40 cover charges for that dive bar you just go to any ol' night of the week any other time of the year for free. Once you get to that bar, it's going to be overcrowded, so good luck trying to get that specialty drink or even just a decent pint of beer. Somehow, you'll end up being the only one who can't reach the bar, because everyone else around you is just wasted. At home, you get to play bartender and avoid everyone else who can't handle their booze.

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New Year's Eve is also a bustling day for restaurants, and while a lot of chain restaurants will be open and serving their standard menus, other restaurants will have special prix fixe menus and cocktails just for the night. If you're at an open bar, there may be limited offerings. If you stay home, you can cook a steak just like a chef and drink the best craft beer in your state with no worry.

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Those specialty prix fixe menus? Yeah, they're going to cost you a pretty penny. Even if you just go to a small family-owned restaurant, you'll feel like you're at one of the most expensive eateries in America. If you cook at home, you're going to save a ton of money on food and drink. And you can still cook a restaurant-level meal on your own.

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There's less pressure to overindulge

New Year's Eve out at a bar or house party often means competing with friends to see who can finish the year off by drinking the largest amount of liquor. An evening in at home is more likely to be a low-key affair. So, while you may have some celebratory Champagne or a few bottles of beer, you probably won't get so drunk that you'll start the New Year with a pounding headache and an upset stomach.

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You get to choose your own activity

Maybe you toast to every last hour of the year with a new drink or small gift, maybe you play board games while watching your favorite TV episodes of the year or maybe you snuggle up by the fire and watch a New Year's countdown on TV. Or maybe you do none of these things and just prefer to always be in bed by 10 p.m. and get eight hours of sleep. If you stay home, you can happily do whatever you want on December 31.

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You don't need to worry about getting home

Good luck trying to get home safely on New Year's Eve. The roads may be snowy and icy and may, unfortunately, be full of inebriated drivers. If you try to be safe on New Year's, you can expect massive surge pricing on car share services like Uber and Lyft. Public transit, like the roads, is likely to be packed and full of people who you'd rather not necessarily sit next to at 3 a.m. Instead, you'll be comfortable at home and ready to start the New Year off right with these very achievable resolutions.